New Hymn ‘As Bread Is Broken’ Began During a Sacrament Meeting Reflection

As Stephen A. Reynolds of Heber City, Utah, sat in sacrament meeting one Sunday almost nine years ago, he felt “particularly flawed and imperfect,” he said.

He did not remember what had happened that week — what he had said or done or not done — that was weighing on him, but he wondered if he was even worthy to partake of the sacrament.

“As the bread began to be passed, these words, along with a simple melody and harmony, came into my mind: ‘As bread is broken, we think of Thee,’” Reynolds said.

Reynolds wrote the words down on his printed program. This was the beginning of what later became the new sacrament hymn “As Bread Is Broken,” one of the first new hymns added in 2024 to “Hymns for Home and Church,” the new global hymnbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Over the next few months after that July Sunday, and often during the sacrament, Reynolds continued to seek inspiration and would add to his initial thoughts and impressions.

This hymn-writing exercise became a way of doing what the late President Boyd K. Packer taught about dismissing negative thoughts by thinking of a hymn. Only, in this case, Reynolds was trying to create a hymn — and it helped him elevate his thoughts. Searching for words and phrases about the ordinance of the sacrament increased his reverence and his understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

As he worked on lyrics, inspiration for the melody and harmony as well came to Reynolds, who holds degrees in choral music education and has taught high school choir for the last 22 years.

“The music came so clearly to my mind that I assumed I had heard it somewhere before,” he said.

When he sat down to compose the music, it took only a few minutes because he already knew how it should sound.

Listen to “As Bread Is Broken” here.

Finding the Right Words

In the third verse, Reynolds wanted to convey the idea of coming to the sacrament with real intent and a repentant attitude. He wrote the line, “May our repentance now be sincere.” While looking for a word to rhyme with sincere, the word “ear” stood out. So he turned to the scriptures.

“I found the phrase ‘incline Thine ear’ in multiple places — this beautiful image for listening — typically in a context or attitude of pleading, and the phrase came together: ‘Unto our pleadings incline Thine ear,’” Reynolds said.

He also wanted to describe what the ongoing process of repentance should mean and how it changes natures. The rest of the verse says, “We seek forgiveness — that gift divine — A change of heart, a change of mind.”

The fourth verse was the most difficult to write, he said, but he thought something about taking upon oneself the name of Christ was needed. He couldn’t find any references to this principle in any of the sacramental hymns in the current hymnbook. And he was unsure how to express it in just a few words.

So he decided to keep it simple. He looked for good rhyming words with “name” and decided to use “proclaim.” That verse now says, “Help us, dear Savior, to take Thy name, To be like Thee and Thy word proclaim.”

Reynolds said he hopes this hymn helps others reflect on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the purposes of taking the sacrament each week and their personal relationship with the Savior — approaching the weekly ordinance “with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, earnestly seeking to become more worthy of the companionship and cleansing of the Holy Ghost.”

Music Communicates Truth

When Reynolds started writing “As Bread Is Broken” in 2017, there was no place for a new sacrament hymn to be printed or used. Then, a few months later, the Church announced a new hymnbook and a search for submissions. Reynolds began to consider that there might be another purpose for his song beyond his personal benefit.

“To act on impressions, even when they seem illogical, has become a valuable lesson for me,” he said.

Learning that his hymn would be published globally made him “extremely honored” and “quite surprised.” He expressed his gratitude and respect for all those who translated, recorded and formatted the hymn for publication in multiple languages, and he said how grateful he is to have had the opportunity to contribute to the new hymnbook’s collection of sacred music.

“Music is uniquely suited to communicate truth to our spirit,” he said. “Many of us can trace our first experiences with the Holy Ghost to singing or hearing sacred music. These new hymns help us to consider the doctrines of the gospel with fresh perspective, and, therefore, have the ability to help us strengthen our testimonies and our understanding of gospel principles.”